1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of dial-up networking and, more particularly, to automatically providing dial-up access numbers to customers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dial-up Internet users access the Internet by establishing a communication link between their computer and a computing device of an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The communication link occurs across a phone line and is established when the user contacts the ISP computer device via one or more access telephone numbers. Generally, the user will be able to select one of many access number local to the user so that telephone usage charges are minimized.
Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) implement some form of automated technology for providing access numbers to customers over the phone in order to avoid unnecessary contacts between dialup customers and live agents due to cost and efficiency considerations. Utilized technologies for providing access numbers can include presenting customers with pre-recorded listings of possible access numbers filtered and/or sorted by area code, an area code exchange combination, city, zip code, or the like.
A problem with using a static pre-recorded list of access numbers is such a method fails to consider variables that affect whether each access numbers on the list is suitable for the calling user. For example, static lists fail to take into consideration temporary access number outages, specialized customer equipment that requires specific back-end equipment not available through each access number in the list, current load handled by the different access numbers, and other such considerations.
The static nature of conventional systems can also result in a cumbersome interface that provides users with either too much information—much of which is inapplicable to the user, too little information, or misleading information not suitable for the user's individualized needs.
What is needed is an automated means of presenting access numbers to users in an intelligent fashion that is customized to the needs of the calling user. Such an intelligent system would ideally be configured to address situational concerns of callers in a user-friendly manner, which could encourage the use of the automated system, thereby minimizing the need for live agent interactions while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction.